Sara Cormier was always destined for design. Her gig as her high school newspaper’s Layout and Design Technician primed her appreciation for page composition, leading her to spend 5 years studying it and more at University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning (DAAP), from which she graduated cum laude (which impresses no one aside from her mother, maybe). After brief stints on both the East Coast and West Coast working for Christie’s Auction House and Turner Duckworth respectively, Sara returned to her native Cincinnati, a midwestern town, where one can enjoy the finer things in life: goetta, cheese coneys, and affordable housing.

From 2005-2012, Sara’s steady paycheck and benefits came from being the Advertising Design Manager at Cincinnati Magazine and Cincinnati Wedding, where she honed her skills and cultivated her passion for honest, undeniably good design. It is with 11 years of professional experience and freelancing that Sara launched Cormier Creative in 2011 to satisfy her entrepreneurial yearning—which she attributes to her days selling candy in grade school—and indulge her passion for working with people.

While her bread and butter is clever, whimsical, imaginative design, Sara also has a serious side, which comes in handy when business-minded clients come a calling. (That said, she usually tries to persuade everyone to loosen up a little.) Whether it’s a facelift to a tired logo, a custom invitation suite for a bride-to-be, or a website overhaul, Sara’s innovative approach and unabashed enthusiasm for quality design infuses joy into every creative endeavor she touches.

Sara lives with her charming husband, Spencer, a businessman and green thumb who also moonlights as a DJ, her adorable daughter, Carmen, and a Welsh terrier named Sir Harry Wendel, who has more gumption than Mitt Romney (his unfortunate idol). When she is not busy creating on her computer, Sara can be found mastering the art of cake pops (Hello Kitty? Check!) and vegan baking, trying on sleek European eyewear, and keeping the Cincinnati Public Library afloat via late fees (her civic duty).